Utilizing qualitative, quantitative, and network analysis skills, Qiuchang (Katy) Cao's scholarship centers on improving the physical, mental, and social health of diverse older adults, particularly racial/ethnic minority older adults and older immigrants/refugees. She is interested in community-engaged research as well as secondary data analysis using nationally representative data sets to identify health disparities and resource/resilience among different groups of older adults. She is passionate about enhancing the health equity of marginalized older adults through collaborative research and the implementation of evidence-informed practices.

Areas of Focus

• Aging
• Mental Health
• Civic Engagement
• Culturally and Linguistically Varied Populations
• Social Network Analysis

Education

• PhD, 2022, Ohio State University, Social Work (Gerontology)
• MSW, 2017, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Social Work
• BA, 2015, Suzhou University, Public Administration

Selected Peer Review Articles and Publications

Cao, Q., Krok-Schoen, J., Guo, M., Dong, X.Q. (2023). Trust in physicians, health insurance, and health care utilization among Chinese older immigrants. Ethnicity and Health, 28(1), 78-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2022.2027881 

Cao, Q., Dabelko-Schoeny, H.I., White, K., Maleku, A., & Sheldon, M. (2021). “I wanna help, but my hands can be a little tied”: The challenges and benefits of formal volunteering among low-income diverse older adults. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 64(4), 388- 404. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2021.1897723

Cao, Q., Liao, L., & Warren, K.L. (2020). Social and programmatic interactions in a therapeutic community for women: an exponential random graph model analysis. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, 41(3/4), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/TC-08-2019-0008

Cao, Q., Dabelko-Schoeny, H.I., White, K.M., & Choi, M.S. (2020). Age-friendly communities and perceived disconnectedness: The role of built environment and social engagement.Journal of Aging and Health, 32(9), 937-948. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264319865421

Bunger, A.C., Yousefi-Nooraie, R., Warren, K., Cao, Q., Dadgostar, P., & Bustos, T.E. (2023). Developing a typology of network alteration strategies for implementation: a scoping review and iterative synthesis. Implementation Science. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01266-3

Ozbilen, B., Akar., G., White, K., Dabelko-Schoeny, H.I., & Cao, Q. (2022). Analysing the travel behaviour of older adults: What are the determinants of sustainable mobility? Ageing and Society, FirstView, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X22001180

Dabelko-Schoeny, H. I., Maleku, A., Cao, Q., White, K. M., & Ozbilen, B. (2021). “We want to go, but there are no options”: Exploring barriers and facilitators of transportation among diverse older adults. Journal of Transport & Health, 20, 100994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2020.100994

Jarrott, S. E., Cao, Q., Dabelko-Schoeny, H. I., & Kaiser, M. L. (2021). Developing intergenerational interventions to address food insecurity among pre-school children: A community-based participatory approach. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 16(2), 196-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2019.1640827

Yousefi-Nooraie, R., Warren, K., Juckett, L. A., Cao, Q. Bunger, A. C., & Patak-Pietrafesa, M. A. (2021). Individual- and group-level network-building interventions to address social isolation and loneliness: A scoping review with implications for COVID-19. PLOS One, 16(6), e0253734. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253734
 

Selected Grants

Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia in Diverse Populations ($25, 000). 2022. National Institute on Aging through the University of Maryland.

Age-Friendly Research Grant ($1000). 2021. The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, Age-Friendly Innovation Center, Columbus, OH 

Ph.D. Research Seed Grant Program ($1000). 2021 The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, Columbus, OH.